Two restaurants have been feuding for 20 years and these signs are Texas-sized snark at its best

For more than two decades, Houstonians have witnessed the bitter rivalry between two neighboring restaurants: Pappadeaux vs. Khyber. Pappadeaux, owned by Houston-based Pappas Restaurants, uses their signs to promote their specials. Meanwhile, their scrappy independent North Indian neighbors use their signs to poke fun at the posh eatery.

Mickey Kapoor, the owner/chief instigator at Khyber, told an interviewer in 2015 about how the battle started. In 1994, when Kapoor saw a sign from Pappadeaux advertising their blackened tuna, he made his sign read, “Accidents Happen.”

Over the years, the sign battles became the stuff of Houston legend. Kapoor relates a time when his neighbors changed their sign five times in one day:

Wendy’s: Wendy’s parking only. Violators will be served Pure Water
Pure Water: Good thing our tea is stronger than your sign game!

Wendy’s: Anything you can brew, we can brew better
Pure Water: You better check yourself before you wreck yourself Wendy’s!

While the Wendy’s vs. Pure Water feud has yet to establish the intense history of Pappadeaux vs. Khyber, the level of creativity shown on both sides will likely boost traffic in both stores…or at least cause traffic jams as passers-by check out the latest round of barbs.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article said that Pappadeaux was owned by Landry’s.